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Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2003 No. 503

ENERGY CONSERVATION

The Domestic Energy Efficiency Grants (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

Made

28th November 2003

Coming into operation

22nd December 2003

The Department for Social Development(1), in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 17(1), (2) and (4) of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1990(2), and now vested in it(3), and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, and with the consent of the Department of Finance and Personnel, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Domestic Energy Efficiency Grants (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 22nd December 2003.

Amendments

2.  The Domestic Energy Efficiency Grants Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002(4) are amended in accordance with regulations 3 and 4.

3.  In paragraph (1) of regulation 4 (persons who may apply for a grant) for sub-paragraph (d) substitute the following sub-paragraph –

(d)is in receipt of –

(i)child tax credit; or

(ii)working tax credit which includes a disability element,

as provided for in the Tax Credits Act 2002(5) and has a relevant income of less than £14,200; and for these purposes “relevant income” has the same meaning as in Part 1 of the Tax Credits Act 2002..

4.  In paragraph (3) of regulation 4 after “This paragraph applies to” insert “state pension credit as provided for in the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002(6),”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 28th November 2003.

L.S.

D. M. Crothers

A senior officer of the

Department for Social Development

The Department of Finance and Personnel hereby consents to the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 1st December 2003.

L.S.

C. Doran

A senior officer of the

Department of Finance and Personnel

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

The Domestic Energy Efficiency Grants Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 (“the 2002 Regulations”) enable the Department for Social Development to make or arrange for the making of grant for the improvement of energy efficiency in dwellings occupied by persons on low incomes with children, elderly persons on low incomes and persons in receipt of benefit relating to ill health or disability. These Regulations amend the 2002 Regulations as follows.

The list of persons in regulation 4 of the 2002 Regulations who may apply for a grant is amended to include a person who is in receipt of working tax credit which includes a disability element.

Regulation 4 adds to the list of persons eligible to apply for a grant a person who is, or who is living with a spouse who is, in receipt of state pension credit.

(1)

S.I. 1999/283 (N.I. 1) Article 3(1)

(2)

S.I. 1990/1511 (N.I. 15) Article 17 was amended by S.I. 1996/2879 (N.I. 21), Article 3

(3)

See S.R. 1997 No. 391 and S.R. 1999 No. 481, Article 6(e) and Schedule 4 Part V

(5)

2002 c. 21; see section 11(3) and (4) for a definition of “disability element”